ESPN honors Lia Thomas in 'Celebrating Women’s History Month' segment

12-time NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines, joined by competitive cyclist Holly Lavesser, argued the ban is ‘basic common sense’ and not ‘anti-trans’ but ‘pro-woman.’

ESPN on Sunday honored former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas as part of a "Celebrating Women’s History Month" segment.

The segment brought up Thomas’ transition from male to female, her win at the NCAA Championships and competing amid criticism from the swimming world. 

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Lia Thomas looks on from the podium after finishing fifth in the 200-yard freestyle during the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship on March 18, 2022, in Atlanta. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

"People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage so she could win.’ I transitioned to be happy," Thomas says in the segment.

Thomas’ participation in NCAA women’s swimming during the 2021-22 season sparked a growing debate over the fairness of transgender women competing against biological females. She became the first transgender woman to win an Ivy League Championship and later an NCAA Championship in the 500 free.

EX-NCAA SWIMMER STILL UPSET OVER LIA THOMAS MAKING IT TO 500 FINALS IN 2022 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas smiles after winning the 100-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League women's swimming and diving championships at Harvard University, Feb. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

But the wins didn’t come without scrutiny and put a sharper focus on the governing bodies of various sports to set rules regarding transgender athletes’ participation.

Recently, World Athletics said it would exclude transgender female athletes